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The Connection Between Faith & Investing

The tradition of faith- or values-based investing is centuries old, even if it wasn't formally defined as such. Religious investors from Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths as well as many indigenous cultures have always carefully considered the impact of their financial decisions on others and have formal guidelines prohibiting investments that violate their traditions or beliefs.

But while ethical investing, or what is now more commonly known as socially responsible investing, may have been born in faith institutions, ICCR's current membership has grown beyond the universe of religious investors to include like-minded mainstream institutional investors who recognize the moral and ethical repercussions of their financial decisions. Affiliation with a faith tradition is not a requisite for ICCR membership.

Rather, our faith heritage is embodied in our coalition’s inspiration to seek justice and act on behalf of those who are more vulnerable; it is felt in our member-wide gatherings as we pause for an invocation to remind us of, as one member puts it, "the gift" we are given to do this important work, and; it resides in our abiding faith and our persistent conviction that corporations are not only capable of accomplishing great things in the world, they are bound to by the social license granted them. Our role is to remind them of this pact.

Whatever your inspiration, faith-based or secular, if you share these values and are committed to act on them, we would be honored to welcome you as a member of our multi-faceted and ever-growing coalition.